The Olympic Games: One Year On

Last year the Olympic Games propelled London into the spotlight. It brought Britain and the rest of the world together, uniting us in a summer of hope and glory. The legacy was to “Inspire a Generation” and the spirit that went with the event did not endwith the closing ceremony.

This summer has already seen a run of British sporting triumphs: Andy Murray’s historic Wimbledon win, Chris Froome’s Tour de France victory, the Ashes cricket success, the British Lions rugby triumph and golfer Justin Rose’s US Open win, which along with the birth of a royal baby and the longest heatwave in seven years, means spirits remain as high as they were last year.

The Olympic Park, built as a sporting complex for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, was temporarily closed to the public after the Games but has now been transformed into Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, providing London with a new space for major sporting events, music festivals and more.

Last weekend the park was used for the National Lottery Anniversary Run, the first sporting event since the conclusion of London 2012. This weekend it will host the Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games, three days of world-class athletics on the anniversary of the Opening Ceremony. The games will see the return of many Olympic champions, with Sunday being dedicated to the Paralympic champions. Alongside this is the Open East Festival, a weekend celebrating the first anniversary of the Olympic Games and the reopening of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Here, along with entertainment, family activities, art and food, you can watch the Anniversary Games live on screen.

The park has already hosted huge music festivals this summer including Hard Rock Calling, Wireless and Electric Daisy Carnival. Other events still to come in the Olympic Park include:

Ride London – On the first weekend in August, professional and amateur cyclists will gather in London for a brand new, world-class festival of cycling

The park will be used for a range of huge sporting events – including boxing, hockey and basketball

Other Olympic Venues

Wimbledon Following on from his gold win at the Olympic Games, there was national pride for Andy Murray again this year as he became the first British man to win Wimbledon for 77 years. Visit the site where history was made at the Lawn Tennis Museum and Tour of the grounds.

Horse Guards Parade Usually used for royal parades and ceremonies, during the Olympic Games Horse Guards Parade was transformed into a temporary arena for beach volleyball. At this historic site you can see Changing the Guard most mornings.

Wembley Stadium The stadium was used for football matches during the Olympic Games and continues to be used for high profile matches including, in August: the FA Community Shield, England v Scotland and the Challenge Cup Final. Take a tour of this famous stadium and walk in the footsteps of some of the world’s top footballers; go behind the scenes in the changing rooms, then walk through the players’ tunnel.

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